tried to slow its decent. The force of those appendages nearly bowled the duergar to the ground. As it was, the griffon managed to rake Justi-kar's back with its talonlike forearms as it passed over. The dwarf hissed in pain as the razor sharp claws tore through his tunic and flesh. He arched his back in pain and partially whirled in time to see the griffon pull up before it attempted an additional attack. Justikar had reached a rough circle of rocks that afforded him only the most rudimentary of cover. But it did make it almost impossible for the griffon to continue any kind of air attack. It was going to have to face him on foot and that evened things up as far as the duergar was concerned.
Justikar watched as the creature began its landing ten feet from where he stood. The beast's upper body resembled that of an eagle with its sharp beak and feathered forearms. From the withers toward the tail, however, the griffon's body became that of a muscular, fur-covered lion with the exception of its great wings. It was the powerful rear legs that touched down first, but it held its eagle arms poised in the air. Justikar knew he had to keep clear of those slashing limbs, or he would be nothing more than a pile of ribbons in short order. Even as he thought this, his stone black eyes caught sight of a section of his tunic that still streamed from one of its claws, like some flag of defeat. Never, he thought angrily.
Without any formal plan, the duergar let loose with a bellow of rage and charged the griffon. Surprise was on his side, for the beast squawked at the foolhardy and unexpected attack. The griffon was shocked enough by the charge thatti lost the first opportunity to slash at the dwarf with its forearms. The griffon touched ground completely, and Justikar saw his chance. He clasped his two hands together and swung straight for the griffon's beak.
The creature turned its head enough to deflect the brunt of the blow, but the dwarf's hammerfist strike did some damage. Justikar smiled grimly as he heard the satisfying crunch of the griffon's beak as he made partial contact. The creature, momentarily distracted, swung its head, spattering the dwarf with its blood, which now poured freely from the partial break. The dwarf knew that if birds lost blood, they could go into shock quickly and even die if the flow wasn't staunched almost straight away. He hoped the same held true for griffons, but he didn't know. He had never tried to kill one before.
While the creature was temporarily blinded, Justi-kar remembered his earlier find. He reached into his belt and pulled out the natural hand axe. He moved in even closer to the screeching monster and swung his makeshift weapon at the griffon's exposed neck. He felt the tool cut through feathers, but he didn't think it sliced into the flesh very deeply. The griffon exploded in a mixture of fury and pain and reared back on its powerful hind legs, wings beating furiously. Justikar feared he had missed his one chance. But he refused to give up.
As soon as the griffon stood on all four of its feet again, the dwarf launched himself at it once more. He flung his arm in a wide arc, slashing at anything he could. Unsettling the griffon with the flurry of movement near its eyes, the duergar used his feet and smashed the griffon's front left talon with all his might, hoping again that its bird half was more vulnerable than the rest of its lionlike body. The griffon screeched again and swung its bloody head down in an aggressive attack. Justikar's wide shoulders absorbed some of the force, but he still tumbled backward from the blow and landed hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him.
He could see, even though dazed, that the griffon focused its limited attention on its wounded limb. Justikar saw one last chance to make a run for the ridge one hundred feet away and the absolute cover he believed it offered him. He picked himself up and ran, pumping his arms as hard as he could. His heart pounded and every breath burned like fire down the length of his lungs, but he didn't slow down. He was almost there when he saw a shadow growing on the ground all around him, and he felt the sting of air against his shredded back. He refused to turn, though.
With a tunnel opening in the mountain wall within sight and the escape it offered tantalizingly close, Justikar's view was suddenly blocked as a huge pair of feathered wings surrounded him. They enfolded his body completely and as the golden limbs blotted out all sight, Justikar knew there was no escape.
'To business then,' Naglatha told Tazi as she sat down with her, 'since yotrve made such a wise decision.'
Tazi nodded but said nothing.
'As you've already noticed,' Naglatha explained, acknowledging she was aware of Tazi's gaze, 'I am nearly ready to leave after traveling so long and so quickly. And I am not the only one,' she added.
'Really? ' Tazi asked only because she felt Naglatha wanted her to, not because they were having any sort of an actual dialogue.
'There are many Red Wizards who are, even as we speak, making their way to the Thaymount. Do you know the area?' she asked Tazi.
'Aren't they the chain of volcanic ridges that lie in the middle of High Thay, above the Second Escarpment? I understand that some of the smoldering peaks reach heights of seventeen thousand feet or more and sooty glaciers dot the tops of these,' she responded easily.
'You know of it then,' Naglatha replied, pleased with Tazi's working knowledge of Thay's geography.
'I obviously didn't pay enough attention to your social mores, but I know where most of the main sites are,' Tazi explained. 'I thought the area was strictly off-limits and trespassers were executed immediately?'
'You are correct about the security of the region,' Naglatha agreed, 'but the area is accessible to certain invited Red Wizards and their guests, such as us. Right now, a nearly unprecedented event is under way.' Tazi regarded her with feigned interest, sensing that Naglatha needed the audience. 'Our Zulkir of Necromancy, Szass Tam, has invited nearly every tharchion and zulkir to the Citadel. These Red Wizards are the power behind Thay,' she explained. It was obvious to Tazi that Naglatha was growing excited. 'Do you know about the Citadel?' Naglatha questioned. Tazi shook her head from side to side.
'Well, I'll get to that in a moment. This is only the second time I have ever been to this fortress. Zulkir Szass Tam controls it, and it is he who has called all of us to discuss the course of the country there.' Naglatha paused for a moment, and Tazi could see something dark cross her features.
'Szass Tam has directed the path of Thay from one of conquest to that of trade over the years. I'm sure this council is to reiterate that plan to all of us,' Naglatha said. She stood up, and Tazi watched as she paced the room. 'We were once a proud country and were feared by our neighbors. We wrested control of this land through force from those who sought to subjugate us centuries ago. Now Szass Tam has us buying and selling goods like the greedy, grubby merchants one could find in any city anywhere. Even in a common one like yours,' she shot at Tazi.
'I take it you're against this policy,' Tazi stated the obvious.
''Make trade instead of war,' ' she laughed. 'How preposterous! We are the laughing stock of Faerun when we should be the most feared. I hate this game-playing,' Naglatha said as she continued to march animatedly around the room. 'We should embrace our past and the Ijonest ways… killing, war, and occupation. Instead we hawk magical wares like street vendors.'
'What can you do alone?' Tazi asked her.
Naglatha whirled to face Tazi. 'Ah,' she replied with a slow smile, 'but I'm not alone. There are several of us in positions of authority who want to change history and have Thay assume its rightful position in Faerun. We have hesitated because Szass Tarn is so very powerful. And, as Zulkir of Necromancy, many of us realize that if we should fail in our efforts, not even death would keep us from his wrath,' she answered ominously, and Tazi could see the woman was, despite all her plans and bravado, afraid of the zulkir.
'How can I be of any assistance to you? ' Tazi asked. For the first time since Naglatha started her speech, Tazi was genuinely curious. 'If he is this powerful, I can't see what use I would be?'
Naglatha sat back down at the small table with Tazi. 'What I want from you is really quite simple,' she told her. 'As I mentioned before, we are all making our way to the Citadel. The Citadel is a unique structure, older than Thay and was here before the first humans came to this land,' she clarified. Tazi hated to admit it to herself, but Naglatha had intrigued her.
'It was carved into one of the higher peaks of the Thaymount. Because of certain drawings that have been discovered inside, our best guess is that the structure was probably constructed by ancient lizardfolk who once inhabited the land but have since vanished. We have lizardfolk that inhabit the Surmarsh now, but they are a simple lot and do not possess the skill to have carved such an amazing edifice,' Naglatha told her. 'The structure is forbidden to the Thayan people and outsiders do not even know of its existence.
'Many years ago, a successful group ventured into the bowels of the Citadel and discovered a near-endless series of subterranean tunnels and caverns. The area came to be known as the Paths of the Doomed and there are
